Boko Haram executes Nigerian Church leader
Barnabas Fund, 21 January 2020
Boko Haram has announced that it has killed Pastor Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, kidnapped by the Islamist group this month. It is not known how Pastor Andimi, who leaves behind a wife and seven children, was killed.
In his final message to his family and colleagues, Pastor Lawan Andimi urged them not to cry or worry about him but to “thank God for everything”
“By the grace of God, I will be together with my wife, my children and my colleagues. If the opportunity has not been granted, maybe it is the will of God,” he said.
It is thought that the church was involved in negotiations with the captors for his release when he was killed.
There are indications that Boko Haram is extending its territory in north-east Nigeria. At least four murderous Islamist attacks have taken place in the region in less than a month. The group may be progressively combining forces with other terrorist militia including ISWAP, Fulani herdsmen and Al Shabaab.